Social Psychology Essay Outline

Purpose

The purpose of constructing an outline for your essay is primarily
to give you feedback on:

the conceptualisation and argumentative approach of your essay

e.g., does it answer the question?

the quality and scope/relevance of your sources

APA style tips

Sections

Cover Page, including:

Relevant details (e.g., name, student number, unit number,
etc.)

Title, etc.

Descriptive / meaningful?

Attractive/catchy?

The essay question

Abstract (150 words max, 1 paragraph)

1-2 page bullet-point plan of essay, roughly as follows:

3-7 1st level headings

3-7 2nd-level headings

extra references / notes / questions at 3rd level as
appropriate

Note that citations should be used to support the relevant
bullet-points; any citations appearing in the references should
be cited in the bullet-point plan

Annotated bibliography of the best 15 key primary academic
sources for answering the research question, consisting of:

APA reference

1 paragraph summaries of how each reference contributes to
answering the question and its overall quality

Out of the 15 key primary sources, at least 5 research
studies and at least 5 theoretical articles should be included

Textbook chapters are not permitted in this section

Other citations (at least 10) which do not make the top 15,
but which are useful references for this essay - summaries are
not required for these extra references, but they should be
reported in full APA format